North West LHIN Physician Leads

Dr. Sarah Newbery, Vice President of Clinical, North West LHIN

Dr. Newbery is an avid champion of rural medicine, and a well-known family physician in Northwestern Ontario. For the past 21 years, Dr. Newbery has been a family physician in Marathon, and has been part of the Marathon Family Health Team since it’s inception as a first wave FHT in 2007. She has been Chief of Staff at Wilson Memorial General Hospital for the past 12 years and is currently Chief of Staff of the newly integrated North of Superior Health Care Group (NOSH). She is an associate professor in the Division of Clinical Sciences at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and is actively involved in curriculum development and teaching. Dr. Newbery is also a member of several provincial health care related committees, and is a past president of the Ontario College of Family Physicians.

Dr. Eli Orrantia, North West LHIN Chronic Disease Prevention and Management Lead

Dr. Orrantia has been a rural family physician in the town of Marathon since 1996. He provides comprehensive primary care as well as obstetrics, palliative care, hospitalist and emergency medicine. He also conducts outreach clinics to the First Nation community of Pic Mobert. He is the Lead Physician and Board Chair of the Marathon Family Health Team and has held numerous committee roles for the FHT, presently including Lead for Quality Improvement and Lead for Diabetes Care.

Dr. Orrantia also has a number of roles within the broader health care system. He is an Investigating Coroner for the Northwest Region as well as being an Associate Professor with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. He is involved in teaching all levels of medical learners and is active in rural health research. Dr. Orrantia is the co-chair of the Superior North Greenstone Healthy Kids Community Challenge. He is also a member of eHealth’s Clinical Advisory Council.

Dr. Jon Johnsen, North West LHIN Primary Care Lead

Dr. Jon Johnsen is the North West LHIN Primary Care Lead and a family doctor in Thunder Bay, Ontario. He graduated from medical school at Dalhousie University, and did his family practice residency in Thunder Bay through the Northern Ontario Medical Program of McMaster University. His full scope family practice is with the Fort William Family Health Team. He holds the rank of Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. His past roles have included being a board member of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) and Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. He is also a past chair of the OMA Section on General and Family Practice. He has served as president of the Professional Staff Association of Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and the Thunder Bay Medical Society. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Johnsen on his appointment to this important role in the North West LHIN.

Dr. Mike Scott, North West LHIN Critical Care Lead

Dr. Michael Scott is currently Director of Critical Care at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, a practicing intensivist and anesthesiologist and a member of the Ontario Critical Care Expert Advisory Panel. He was appointed Director of Critical Care at Thunder Bay Regional Hospital in 1998 and has developed and implemented the Intensivist-Directed Critical Care Service at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. Dr. Scott was previous Chief of Anesthesiology from 1996-1998 at Thunder Bay Regional Hospital, and continues to be an investigating Coroner since 2001 for Thunder Bay Region.

Dr. Bradley Jacobson, North West LHIN Emergency Department Lead

Dr. Bradley Jacobson is the North West LHIN Emergency Department Clinical Lead, an Emergency Medicine physician at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC), and is also the Medical Lead for the Emergency Department. He graduated from McMaster University Medical School and did his Family Medicine residency in Thunder Bay through the Northern Ontario Medical Program of McMaster University. Dr. Jacobson continued his training through Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) and was the first Postgraduate year 3 EM (Canadian College of Family Physicians - Emergency Medicine certificate) graduate from the West Campus. He holds the rank of Assistant Professor at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. His past roles have included being a Board Director of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) and the NOSM Undergraduate Lead for the Emergency Department and is also a past chair of the OMA Board Insurance Committee.

Dr. Gord Porter, North West LHIN Clinical Quality Lead

Dr. Gord Porter will influence positive change resulting in improved care and enhanced patient outcomes and experiences for all in the North West LHIN. Health Quality Ontario and the regional Local Health Integration Networks jointly employ Clinical Quality Leads, with one assigned to each region. Working collaboratively with providers in the North West LHIN, Dr. Porter will work to advance the current quality agenda in the region and support the ongoing development of a culture of quality. In addition, Dr. Porter will work closely with Health Quality Ontario, which presents a new opportunity to connect efforts related to quality, both regionally and provincially. This will ensure that the important context of the North is considered in provincial quality programs.

Dr. Porter will have a dual reporting relationship to the Chief, Clinical Quality at Health Quality Ontario, and the VP, Clinical of the North West LHIN. He will play an important role within the LHINs Quality Table, a committee created to monitor and advance clinical quality in a coordinated and impactful way to support improvement in ways that are meaningful to patients.

Dr. Porter will also participate, with peers from across the province, in Health Quality Ontario’s Provincial Quality Implementation Committee. Here, he will have an opportunity to contribute perspectives from the North West LHIN, and bring his expertise related to quality improvement to inform future direction for quality across the health system.

Dr. Porter is an orthopaedic surgeon and currently the Chief of Staff at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, a position he has held since 2004. He is well respected in the region having spent most of his career working in the North. He also serves as Co-Chair of the Chief of Staff committee in the North and has both practiced and collaborated with many other practitioners and organizations across the region.

Dr. Daniel Ek, North West LHIN Clinical Lead, City of Thunder Bay Sub-region

Dr. Ek is the Clinical lead for the City of Thunder Bay sub-region for the North West LHIN. He has been a family physician in Thunder Bay since 1992, after completing his residency in Family Medicine at Dalhousie University. He is the current Lead Physician and President of the Board of the Harbourview Family Health Team, having had that role since its inception. He is an Associate Professor in the Northern Ontario School of Medicine and mentors both medical students and residents. His family practice includes hospital care for his patients. He has previously performed work at the former Ogden-East End Community Health Centre and the Thunder Bay District Public Health Unit. Dr. Ek's prior appointments been the Education Committee Lead for the Thunder Bay Medical Society and the Chief of the Department of Family Medicine at the Thunder Bay Regional Hospital.

Dr. Ravi Dhaliwal, North West LHIN Clinical Lead, District of Thunder Bay Sub-region

Dr. Ravi Dhaliwal is the North West LHIN Clinical Lead for the District of Thunder Bay Sub-region. Dr. Dhaliwal has been practicing full-scope rural medicine including emergency and inpatient coverage in Nipigon since 2012, attending both medical school and residency at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM). He is currently Chief of Staff at Nipigon District Memorial Hospital and an associate professor at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. He enjoys teaching at both the Postgraduate and Undergraduate level in Nipigon. Dr. Dhaliwal has a an interest in information technology, and the rational use of medical resources, which he cultivated whilst attending the London School of Economics where he studied finance. He comes to the role of Clinical Lead with a view to building trust amongst district providers to foster more collaborative seamless patient care.

Dr. Sven Pedersen, North West LHIN Clinical Lead, District of Kenora Sub-region

Dr. Sven Pederson is the Clinical Lead for the District of Kenora Sub-region and works closely with the sub-region Director, Manager of Home and Community Care, and the performance lead to oversee quality improvement, patient safety and performance management within District of Kenora sub-region. Dr. Pederson is responsible for local quality initiatives, working closely with primary care providers, inter-professional teams, and administrative leads in the District of Kenora Sub-region to achieve provincially defined performance metrics, and to develop a more integrated network of care at the sub-region level, including primary care, public health, home care and community care, mental health and addictions, long-term care, and acute care.

Dr. Bob Algie, North West LHIN Clinical Lead, District of Rainy River Sub-region

Dr. Bob Algie has practiced full scope rural family medicine in the Rainy River District since 1981. He has served on the District Health council, the precursor to the LHIN system. His administrative career has been quite varied at the; clinic, hospital, medical school, provincial and national level.

He has long had an interest in the integration of health care delivery at the local level. His initiative was integral to the formation of the Fort Francs Family Health team. Dr. Algie is slowing down his clinical involvement as he prepares for retirement. In the meantime he will be assisting the Rainy River District steering committee and the core team to improve the integrated delivery of high quality health care. He recognizes the greatest barriers in the Rainy River District are related to the deficit of health human resources.

Dr. Algie is working with the various providers within the Rainy River District to ensure they are aware of opportunities to improve the provision of health care.